Adelaide Assistant Coach Scott Burns says his side is feeling refreshed and ready to attack the second half of the season, following its mid-season bye.
The Crows enjoyed a week off in Round 14 after their 122-point victory against West Coast at Adelaide Oval.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Burns said the team had taken the opportunity to reset and prepare for the remainder of its 2023 campaign.
“It’s always a good chance to rest as it’s a tough competition,” Burns said.
“Most of the players are feeling fit, but at this time of the year there are always players with sore spots.
“It’s great to get that breather and have the opportunity to freshen up a few guys in the last week or so.”
Adelaide sits eighth on the ladder with seven wins.
Burns said he was pleased with the improvement shown so far this season, but there was still plenty of work to be done.
“We are greater than 50/50 in terms of wins and losses so that’s a tick for us at this point in time,” Burns said.
“At the start of the year we spoke about how we want to play top-eight footy year and we have put ourselves amongst it in the first 13 rounds.
“It’s really up to us to see how we perform over the next 10 weeks, to play at the end of the season.”
The Crows will take on one of their biggest challenges so far this season, when they face ladder-leaders Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.
Burns said Adelaide was relishing the opportunity to play at the MCG for the first time this season.
“We haven’t played at the MCG this year and we know that it’s going to be a big task for us, and we are looking forward to it,” Burns said.
“There will be a massive crowd there, very one-sided, so it’s going to be a great test for some of our players.
“There are certainly a few Melbourne boys who have spent a lot of time as kids watching footy at the MCG, so they will certainly enjoy the opportunity to play there”.
After a narrow one-point loss to the Magpies in Round Seven, Burns said the team would need to be at its best this weekend.
“We know that we can challenge most of the better teams in the competition when we bring our best game,” Burns said.
“They have been one of the better teams the last year and a half and we nearly got the job done the last two times we have played them at Adelaide Oval.
“Collingwood have quality players, they have a system that can always challenge you and they never give in.
“We have been pretty competitive, and the contest has certainly been there the last couple of times we have played them, so we will need to be at our best to challenge them.”
